311th Fighter Group
Encyclopedia
The 311th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. It was last assigned to the Army Service Forces
, being inactivated on 6 January 1946 at Fort Lawton
, Washington.
During World War II
, the unit was one of only three groups to use the A-36 Apache dive bomber version of the P-51 Mustang
. It was created in 1942 as a light bombardment group, training with the Vultee Vengeance, before moving on to the A-36 (and the P-51) when it entered combat in India
as part of Tenth Air Force
.
After the war, the unit was redesignated as the 101st Fighter Group on 24 May 1946 and allocated to the Maine
Air National Guard
, via Australia, July–September 1943. Assigned to Tenth Air Force
. Operating from India and using A-36A Apaches. The units aircraft had yellow tails with two black bands; the 530th Fighter Squadron having its diagonal bands sloping from top right to bottom left, while the other two Squadrons had theirs either vertical or sloping the opposite way. The red nose was also a squadron marking. Many planes of this Group had a girl's name on the nose but very few had any artwork.
The group supported Allied ground forces in northern Burma; covered bombers that attacked Rangoon, Insein
, and other targets; bombed enemy airfields at Myitkyina
and Bhamo
; and conducted patrol and reconnaissance missions to help protect transport planes that flew The Hump
route between India and China.
Converted to P-51C Mustangs in May 1944. Moved to Burma in July and continued to support ground forces, including Merrill's Marauders
; also flew numerous sweeps over enemy airfields in central and southern Burma.
Moved to China in August 1944 and assigned to Fourteenth Air Force
. Escorted bombers, flew interception missions, struck the enemy's communications, and supported ground operations, serving in combat until the end of the war. Ferried P-51's from India for Chinese Air Force
in November 1945. Returned to the US in December 1945.
Inactivated on 6 January 1946.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
unit. It was last assigned to the Army Service Forces
Army Service Forces
The Army Service Forces were one of the three autonomous components of the Army of the United States during World War II, the others being the Army Air Forces and Army Ground Forces. They were created on February 28, 1942 by Executive Order Number 9082 "Reorganizing the Army and the War Department"...
, being inactivated on 6 January 1946 at Fort Lawton
Fort Lawton
Fort Lawton is a United States Army fort located in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. The fort was included in the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure list.-History:...
, Washington.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the unit was one of only three groups to use the A-36 Apache dive bomber version of the P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
. It was created in 1942 as a light bombardment group, training with the Vultee Vengeance, before moving on to the A-36 (and the P-51) when it entered combat in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
as part of Tenth Air Force
Tenth Air Force
The Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....
.
After the war, the unit was redesignated as the 101st Fighter Group on 24 May 1946 and allocated to the Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
Lineage
- Constituted as 311th Bombardment Group (Light) on 28 January 1942
- Activated on 2 March 1942
- Redesignated 311th Bombardment Group (Dive) in July 1942
- Redesignated 311th Fighter-Bomber Group (Single Engine) in September 1943
- Redesignated 311th Fighter Group in May 1944
- Inactivated on 6 January 1946.
- Redesignated 101st Fighter Group
- Allotted to ANG (Maine) on 24 May 1946
Assignments
- III Fighter CommandIII Fighter CommandThe III Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at MacDill Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 8 April 1946.-Lineage:...
, 2 March 1942 – 18 July 1943 - Tenth Air ForceTenth Air ForceThe Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....
, 14 September 1943 – 28 August 1944 - Fourteenth Air ForceFourteenth Air ForceThe Fourteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command . It is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California....
, 18 August 1944 – 14 December 1945 - Army Service ForcesArmy Service ForcesThe Army Service Forces were one of the three autonomous components of the Army of the United States during World War II, the others being the Army Air Forces and Army Ground Forces. They were created on February 28, 1942 by Executive Order Number 9082 "Reorganizing the Army and the War Department"...
, 5–6 January 1946
Components
- 385th Bombardment Squadron: 2 March 1942 – 30 Sep 1943
- 382d Bombardment (later 528th Fighter-Bomber; Fighter) Squadron: 2 March 1942 – 6 January 1946
- 383d Bombardment (later 529th Fighter-Bomber; Fighter) Squadron: 2 March 1942 – 6 January 1946
- 384th Bombardment (later 530th Fighter-Bomber; Fighter) Squadron: 2 March 1942 – 6 January 1946
Stations
- Will Rogers Field, OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, 2 March 1942 - Hunter Field, GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, 4 July 1942 - Waycross Army Airfield, GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, 22 October 1942 – 18 July 1943 - Nawadih AirfieldNawadih AirfieldNawadih Airfield is a former wartime United States Army Air Forces airfield in India used during the Burma Campaign 1944-1945. It is now abandoned.-History:...
, India, 14 September 1943
- Dinjan AirfieldDinjan AirfieldDinjan Airfield was a World War II airfield, located approximately seven miles northeast of Chabua, in the state of Assam, India.It was abandoned after the war and, though unused, is part of an Indian Air Force base.-History:...
, India, 11 October 1943 - Tingkawk Sakan AirfieldTingkawk Sakan AirfieldTingkawk Sakan Airfield is a former wartime United States Army Air Forces airfield in Burma used during the Burma Campaign 1944-1945. It is now abandoned.-History:...
, Burma, 6 July 1944 - Pungchacheng AirfieldPungchacheng AirfieldPungchacheng Airfield is a former World War II United States Army Air Forces airfield in China, located approximately 25 miles west of Quzhou in the People’s Republic of China.-History:...
, China, 28 August 1944 – 14 December 1945 - Fort LawtonFort LawtonFort Lawton is a United States Army fort located in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. The fort was included in the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure list.-History:...
, Washington, 5–6 January 1946
Operational history
Trained with V-72 Vengeance aircraft. Moved to IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, via Australia, July–September 1943. Assigned to Tenth Air Force
Tenth Air Force
The Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....
. Operating from India and using A-36A Apaches. The units aircraft had yellow tails with two black bands; the 530th Fighter Squadron having its diagonal bands sloping from top right to bottom left, while the other two Squadrons had theirs either vertical or sloping the opposite way. The red nose was also a squadron marking. Many planes of this Group had a girl's name on the nose but very few had any artwork.
The group supported Allied ground forces in northern Burma; covered bombers that attacked Rangoon, Insein
Insein
Not to be confused with Insein, KaleInsein Township is located in the northern Yangon. The township comprises 21 wards, and shares borders with Shwepyitha township in the north, Hlaingthaya township in the west, and Mingaladon township in the east and south...
, and other targets; bombed enemy airfields at Myitkyina
Myitkyina
Myitkyina is the capital city of Kachin State in Myanmar , located from Yangon, and from Mandalay. In Burmese it means "near the big river", and in fact "Myitkyina" lies on the west bank of the Ayeyarwady River, just below from Myit-son of its two headstreams...
and Bhamo
Bhamo
Bhamo is a city of Kachin State in northernmost part of Myanmar, located 186 km south from the capital city of Myitkyina. It is on the Ayeyarwady River. It lies within 65 km of the border with Yunnan Province, China. The population consists of Chinese and Shan, with Kachin peoples in...
; and conducted patrol and reconnaissance missions to help protect transport planes that flew The Hump
The Hump
The Hump was the name given by Allied pilots in the Second World War to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew military transport aircraft from India to China to resupply the Chinese war effort of Chiang Kai-shek and the units of the United States Army Air Forces based in...
route between India and China.
Converted to P-51C Mustangs in May 1944. Moved to Burma in July and continued to support ground forces, including Merrill's Marauders
Merrill's Marauders
Merrill’s Marauders or Unit Galahad, officially named the 5307th Composite Unit , was a United States Army long range penetration special operations unit in the South-East Asian Theater of World War II which fought in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations, or CBI...
; also flew numerous sweeps over enemy airfields in central and southern Burma.
Moved to China in August 1944 and assigned to Fourteenth Air Force
Fourteenth Air Force
The Fourteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command . It is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California....
. Escorted bombers, flew interception missions, struck the enemy's communications, and supported ground operations, serving in combat until the end of the war. Ferried P-51's from India for Chinese Air Force
Chinese Air Force
The phrase Chinese Air Force may refer to one of two modern bodies; a third historical unit can also be referred to as a part:*Republic of China Air Force: The air force of China from 1920 to 1949, operating from Taiwan only post-1949....
in November 1945. Returned to the US in December 1945.
Inactivated on 6 January 1946.